Skills like creativity and leadership will be in demand, says Senior VP, HR and IT, TVS Motor Company

“Companies should encourage the movement of employees from one function to another, if they have the required skills. I believe that empowering employees by enhancing their skills and offering new roles creates a win-win scene for both the employees and the company”.

TimesJobs spoke to
R Anandakrishnan Senior VP, HR and IT, TVS Motor Company to know the preview of the automobile industry. Here’s what he said:

What will be the key recruitment game changers in 2018? For our sector it is important to create a work environment that is challenging, engaging and offers career building prospects. Companies need to adopt new age hiring and retention measures to cater to the new age millennial workforce. The advent of fourth industrial revolution in India calls for new models to address business needs as automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will affect every level of business and its people. In 2018, we should continue to identify how humans and machines will collaborate to deliver our corporate vision. We need to actively look for ways on how technology can enhance and support potential and existing employees.

In your industry, which skills and job roles will be in demand at junior, middle and senior level? At TVS Motor Company, we constantly drive the passion for engineering; engineering that makes you go wow, makes you sit up, moves not just a machine but moves you. While the importance of domain skills remains critical to automobiles industry recruitment process, the skills needed for the future are not just about science and technology. Human skills like creativity and leadership will be in demand, as well.

How is technology changing HR, especially recruitment? AI is slowly becoming the backbone of multiple HR partners. The use of sophisticated workforce planning and predictive analytics to plan for talent pipeline will be useful for any recruiter. In a specialised industry where departmental roles have prerequisite skill-sets, this process will get the right talent. It will also help redesign traditional HR programmes and policies to deliver on jobs and compensation framework, new learning and career development models.

What are the emerging skills you would like fresh entrants in industry to have? We induct a young pool which has a good mix of diploma, graduate and post graduate engineers, CAs, ICWAs and MBAs. Businesses will now require employees with multi-dimensional skills and knowledge of areas beyond their own speciality. People who have the ability to keep learning different things, the agility to adapt to changing needs of the job or industry, and a knack for problem-solving will be much sought after. Candidates who go beyond the realm of curriculum to upskill themselves via digital or personal medium get an extra edge in the recruitment process.

What will be the compensation and appraisal trends in your industry in 2017-18? It has been 8-10% for the past couple of years and will continue to be the same in the coming years as well.

What is the future outlook for the sector? The automotive sector needs to create 15 million direct jobs by 2022 to keep up with the industry growth. The sector is straining to hire employees who are able to translate their education into practical application owing to the divide between the curricula of our education system, and the needs of the industry. To address this need, companies should collaborate with educational institutions to upgrade their course modules and training programmes; and collaborate with the academia to groom students early on in industry-relevant skills. Empowering employees by enhancing their skills and offering new roles will create a win-win situation for the employee and the company.